Large traffic volumes on public thoroughfares may cause a number of problems. In one example traffic congestion and environmental impacts from vehicle emissions and other pollution generated by vehicle large traffic volumes on public thoroughfares may cause a variety of negative impacts. In order to improve quality of life for users of thoroughfares, as well as for people and areas impacted by their use and operation, it is desired to manage traffic volumes. However, traffic management may be difficult and complex.
More particularly, thoroughfare users have many different travel requirements, options, and habits. Roadway networks may include public roads, regional and intrastate highways, interstate highways, public toll and access roads, private toll and access roads, and each road in a given network may be negatively impacted by traffic carried by or diverted from another road. Traffic problems are not limited to roadways and other forms of public/mass transportation thoroughfares that may experience or cause traffic problems include canals, bridges and ferries. Users may also convey themselves along and to thoroughfares by variety of means, including apparatuses such as tram, train, bus, lorry, bicycle, wheelchair, taxicab, boat, plane, etc., and as well as self-locomotion by foot.
It is known to set thoroughfare user fees as a function of observed traffic volumes for a given fee-for-use thoroughfare, for example to discourage use and thereby reduce traffic volume on a turnpike by raising toll fees, or to encourage additional toll road use by lowering fees in order to attract vehicular traffic away from other congested roadways. However, setting toll rates in reaction to actual observed traffic conditions is of questionable effectiveness. For example, it may not be possible to determine if a future traffic reduction is responsive to a managed fare increase, or instead to perceived increases in commuting time or other factors by travelers. And variable fare setting may be perceived as arbitrary and punitive, particularly when imposed after traffic volumes and negative impacts have already occurred.
Traffic flows specific to one thoroughfare may also have direct or indirect impact on other thoroughfares or areas. A solution ameliorating a given set of traffic volume problems on one thoroughfare may only transfer the problem to another thoroughfare, or even create new problems. Fluctuations in traffic volumes may also be unrelated to fare setting, and even caused by factors outside of the thoroughfare environment itself or its direct management.